Letters to the editor

With health insurance premiums set to rise as much as 25.5 percent for Arizonans next year, it’s no surprise that disapproval of Obamacare is also at a record high—as the Kaiser Foundation’s monthly health-care poll revealed last Friday.

It’s clearer than ever that the “Affordable Care Act” hasn’t delivered on its promise of making health care more affordable or higher quality for our state.

So far, Obamacare has done little but add over 11,000 pages of new regulation — placing barrier after barrier between patients and doctors like me. When the government sits in the exam room and tells doctors what they can and cannot do, it’s patients who suffer.

Arizonans need to make it clear that we will not settle for increased costs and lower quality health care.

As a doctor, I swore an oath to put my patient’s needs first, and it’s time for Washington to do the same.

Jason Fodeman

Doctor, Tucson

Feral-cat program

is a waste of money

Re: the Aug. 6 article “County agrees to trap, sterilize feral cats.”

I was so incensed by the front-page article on feral cats, I couldn’t eat breakfast. Should $600,000 of our county taxes really be spent on neutering animals?

Something is radically wrong with our society when we would put that kind of money into that cause, instead of into something to benefit mankind such as school supplies for underprivileged children, donations to local food banks or, if that is too charitable, how about badly needed road repairs? Just think about it.

Blanche Tostengard

Retired, Tucson

Principal must have

done something right

Ironic, isn’t it, that Rex Scott, the former principal at Catalina High Magnet School, was released because his school had D ratings three years in a row; however, the latest ratings show Catalina with a C rating.

Scott must have done something good with a school whose students speak a multitude of languages and come from different parts of the world, which Tucson Unified School District Superintendent H.T. Sanchez said was no excuse.

I’d say that Scott has done an impossible job. If applied to the district, which recently received a grade of C, shouldn’t Sanchez also be released based upon his criteria?

Ken Wright

Retired, Tucson

Fire stations provide

privacy for lactation

Re: the Aug. 6 letter “TFD has facilities for breast pumping.”

In 1981 as human-resource chief, I rewrote the Tucson Fire Department rules and regulations to accommodate female employees. I also assisted in rewriting the entrance exam. I’m certain they have been amended since then. After 30-plus years the entire structure of TFD has changed, particularly in the structure of stations, but I can’t think of one station that couldn’t provide privacy for lactation.

Filing a $300,000 lawsuit? Question: If she is doing her thing and an alarm comes in, does the crew wait for her or respond without her?

Fritz Rhyner

Retired, Tucson

Negative political ads

will cost you my vote

No more negative political ads! I’m making a list and any political candidate who makes or approves a negative ad about his/her opponent will never get my vote, no matter which party they represent. Just tell us what you will do, how you will cooperate with other leaders and tell nothing but the truth.

The only exception will be a candidate addressing lies approved by his/her opponent.